Which MotoGP riders will be allowed to test the 2027 bikes before end of the season

The 2027 season is already a major focus for every MotoGP manufacturer, with sweeping regulation changes set to reshape the championship. The new rules introduce 850cc engines, reduce aerodynamics and call for the removal of ride-height devices, alongside a significant change in tyre supplier, with Pirelli replacing Michelin.

Unsurprisingly, all manufacturers are already working on prototypes for this new era. KTM began testing its 2027 bike in Jerez at the end of last year, while Honda and Yamaha carried out runs in Sepang and Japan respectively, all with test riders. More recently, KTM and Yamaha returned to Jerez in March to continue development work, this time using Pirelli tyres.

During April, the two Italian manufacturers, Aprilia and Ducati, will roll out their 2027 prototypes for the first time, with test riders Lorenzo Savadori and Nicolo Bulega set to take part in those initial outings.

Further tests are already planned. Mugello will host sessions in early May, followed by Barcelona in the middle of the month after the Catalan Grand Prix, while Misano will stage another round of running the following week, all focused on the 850cc bikes and Pirelli rubber.

When regular riders get involved

Full-time MotoGP riders will not be able to test the 2027 machinery until 22 June, the Monday after the Czech Republic Grand Prix. Following Brno, further tests for 850cc bikes are scheduled in Spielberg (after the Austrian GP) and Valencia (after the season finale on 29 November).

The Brno and Spielberg tests will be particularly important for development. While test riders play a key role in early evaluation, manufacturers ultimately rely on their race riders to provide the most relevant feedback.

However, the increasingly active rider market ahead of 2027 is set to complicate matters. Only those riders who already have contracts in place for 2027 — or who have renewed with their current manufacturer — will be able to test the new bikes.

At present, that includes riders such as Johann Zarco and Diogo Moreira, while others who switch manufacturers may not be able to test their future bikes until 1 January 2027.

There is, however, ongoing discussion around a potential “amnesty” to allow all riders to test the 2027 bikes at the Valencia test immediately after the season, in the interest of safety.

Marc Marquez, Ducati Team

Photo by: Gold and Goose Photography / LAT Images / via Getty Images

Who can – and can’t – test the 2027 bike?

Only riders who have secured extensions with their current manufacturers ahead of the Brno and Spielberg tests will be allowed to ride the 2027 prototypes. This would include figures such as Marc Marquez at Ducati and Marco Bezzecchi at Aprilia.

Manufacturers will not permit riders to test machinery from rival brands. That rules out scenarios such as Fabio Quartararo riding a Honda, Jorge Martin testing a Yamaha, Pedro Acosta trying a Ducati or Francesco Bagnaia riding an Aprilia.

As things stand, only a limited group of riders — around seven — are expected to test the 850cc prototypes on Pirelli tyres during the scheduled sessions in the Czech Republic and Austria. Several others are currently ineligible, while the status of a number of riders remains uncertain.

End of concessions and Valencia test

Once the season concludes in Valencia on 29 November, attention will turn to when the current concession framework officially ends. The key question is whether this happens immediately after the race weekend or only at the end of the calendar year on 31 December.

The most logical outcome is that restrictions lift straight after the Valencia Grand Prix. If so, all riders would be free to test for their future manufacturers at the post-season test, regardless of whether their contracts formally run until the end of the year.

That would make Valencia a crucial moment in the development of the 2027 bikes, allowing manufacturers to gather feedback from their full rider line-ups ahead of the first pre-season test at the end of January.

It would also give teams like Aprilia and Ducati a potential advantage, as their reference riders — Bezzecchi and Marquez — are likely to have already completed multiple test outings and contributed to the early direction of development.

Riders who will be able to test the 2027 prototype before the end of the year: